INDIAN SUPERSTITIONS. 267 



share to each member of the party. Dyche was 

 honoured with the part which was considered the 

 bonne bouche, and after he got it he was in a quan- 

 dary. He did not like to refuse, for he feared he 

 would insult the chief, yet he could not coax his 

 stomach to receive the morsel. He had eaten many 

 Indian dishes much against his will, but he felt that 

 the time had come to draw the line. He thankfully 

 accepted his portion and then began to devise 

 a way of escape. Cutting a stick, he inserted it into 

 the delicacy and placed it before the fire to roast, 

 telling Gib that he preferred it that way. He was 

 in no hurry about it, and by the time it was well 

 done the Indians had finished eating and had 

 scattered through the woods. Now came the longed- 

 for opportunity, and as the last Indian turned his 

 back the stick slipped and the obnoxious piece fell 

 into the fire, where it was soon reduced to ashes. 



As provisions, excepting moose-meat, were almost 

 exhausted, it was decided to return to the spot where 

 the toboggans had been left at the first camp. Moose- 

 meat is good eating, but the white men found that it 

 became very distasteful when there was nothing to go 

 with it. Indians eat their meat without salt, but when 

 they discovered that Dyche carried a little bag of salt 

 in his pocket, the red men became persistent beggars 

 for it. In fact, the naturalist discovered that there 

 was nothing they did not want and beg for when 

 they saw others have it. 



When the packs were adjusted and the party was 

 ready to start back Maypuck motioned to Dyche to 

 lead the way. The latter shook his head, but the In- 



